In the 19th century, in the kingdom of Dahomey, present-day Benin, General Nanisca (Viola Davis) and her unit of warriors, the Agojié, free women kidnapped by the slave monarchy of Oyo. To protect Dahomey, Nanisca selects and trains a new generation of fighters. Among them, the very talented and intrepid Nawi (Thuso Mbedu). But European slavers led by Santo Ferreira (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) disturb the balance of forces and risk, perhaps, giving the upper hand to their ally, the kingdom of Oyo.
100% feminine
The Woman King is a 100% feminine project. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard), co-produced and initiated by actress and producer Maria Bello (A History of Violence), it was only possible once Oscar-winning Viola Davis (The Suicide Squad, The color of feelings) embarked on the adventure in 2015.
After several false starts due to a lack of sufficient budget, The Woman King was finally able to be shot between 2021 and early 2022 in South Africa.
95% favorable opinion
In the United States, this ambitious action film based on true events got off to a flying start before losing steam (local box office of $55 million). In France, The Woman King was released at the end of September 2022 and has, alas, at the time of writing, attracted in theaters just under 200,000 spectators. There is no doubt that this lackluster situation is only temporary: on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Woman King indeed records a remarkable 95% favorable opinion.
SPHE will market the work in 4K Ultra HD on February 1, 2023. If the list of bonuses to expect has logically not yet been revealed (we have time to talk about it again), pre-orders for The Woman King are however already open.
